Winding machine



Nov. 23, 1954 w. PERRY ET AL 2,695,138

WINDING MACHINE Filed July 6, 1949 a sheets-sheet 1 INVENTORS WINTHROP L. PERRY, AND EDWARD- J. .ABBOTT, DECEASED BY SAMUEL L. ABBOTT, EXECUTOR Nov. 23, 1954 w. L. PERRY ETAL 2,695,138

. wINDmG MACHINE Filed July 6, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS WINTHROP L. PERRY, AND EDWARD J. ABBOTT, DECEASED, BY SAMUEL L. ABBOTT,EXECUTOR Nov. 23, 1954 v PERRY ETAL 2,695,138

WINDING MACHINE Filed July 6, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS WlNTHROP L. PERRY,AND EDWARD J. ABBOTT, DECEASED, BY SAMUEL L. ABBQTT, EXECUTOR United States Patent Office 2,695,138 Patented Nov.. 23,. 1954 WINDING. MACHINE Winthrop L. Perry, vWilton, N. H;,.and Edward J..Abbott, deceased, lateoflwilton, N. H by SamuelLAbbott, executor, Wilton, N. H., assignors, by mesne-assignments, to Abbott. Worsted Mills-,Incorporated, acorporation of New Hampshire.-

Application July 6', 1949, Serial .N0..103,242

6 Claims. (Cl; 242-19) This invention relates to-= winding machines and is of special applicability to automatic winding machines of the type. disclosedin United States Reissue Patent No. 22,492 and" United States Patents Nos; 2,362,455, 2,377,367, 2,395,028, 2,426,167 and 2,426,168 and Un'itedStates patent'application S'erial'No. 44,754, filed August 17, 1948, in which the thread is'- automatically associated with the base portionof anew empty bobbin, which is then automatically woundwith the thread, the winding of bobbins proceeding insequence.

The invention relates to the production of so-called end finding coils on'each bobbin, that is, a plurality of 'coils'of-thread'wound on the tip portion of the bobbin, beyond the completed main wound body of thread'and connected to such-main wound body. Such end-finding coils-form a ready means for automatically finding or getting hold of the leading endof'threadof the bobbin. Thus when the-bobbin is presented'to a-loom, to supply the filling thread in weaving, the thread constituting the end-finding coils can readily be seized and pulled over. the end of the bobbin by automatically acting hooks or grippers or the like and the threadthusheld in readiness for withdrawal of the main body of thread from the bobbin. This avoids any necessity for. searching over. the surface of the main wound bodyof thread to find its extreme end.

The invention accordingly involves provisions for winding a plurality of end-finding coils on the bobbin following completion of the main wound body and for severing the thread adjacent to such end-finding coils while leaving the end-finding coilsconnected to themain wound body ofthread.

The invention further involves coordinating the operations of winding the end-finding coils on.a wound bob.- bin With operations. of; changing the bobbin, associating the-thread with the next new bobbin and preparing the winding unit for winding the thread on such next new b'obbin, as will hereinafter appear; Thus the. invention provides for carrying the thread from adjacent the. tip ofthe wound bobbinto adjacent the base of the new bobbin without disturbing end-finding coils wound adjacent to the'tip of the wound bobbin. The invention further provides for cutting out of the thread a portion that extends betweenthe end-finding coilsof. the wound bobbin and the base portion of the next new bobbin at which the threadis' engaged withv such new bobbinfor the.beginning of winding thereon.

The invention also provides improved and advantageousrnechanism for causing; the bobbin torotate' for a. few revolutions. to receive itsend-fi'nding coils and for directing the thread onto the bobbin in the form of such end-fi'ndingcoils,using portions'ofithe machine that are also useful in the sequential automatic winding. of filling wound bobbins.

The invention also provides for. effectively securing coils' of thread in place on the bobbin by meansofad- I hesive so that these coils do not become accidentally misplaced in latter handling of the bobbin.

Other objects and advantages of theinvention willbe apparent from this specification and its drawings in Which the invention is. explained by the explanation of a preferred. embodiment thereof.

Inthe drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammaticview mainly in plan showing a portion" of a traveling unit automatic filling bobbin winder including the main. portions of. the automatic winding-unit tending mechanism throughwhich the units travel in a procession, this figure showing one of such units at the left of the figure and indicating diagrammatically further momentary'positions of such unit as it travels from left to right through the tending mechanism;

Fig. 2'is a-right elevation'of the apparatus of Fig. 1, with some parts broken away, and-also shows a portion ofthe track of the winding machine in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic View taken on the line 3-3 of'Fig; 1} and Figs. 4 and 4 are fragmentary views taken on the line 44 of Fig; 1 and respectively show the thread cutters open and closed.

The winding machine to which the invention is shown as applied includes a plurality of winding units such as indicated at in Fig. 1, movable by means of a chain 18 in a closed path around the machine upon tracks consisting of upper andlower rails, the upper rail 16 being shown in Figs. 1 and 2. I

Each winding unit may be individually driven by its own electric motor 19, such motor deriving its current through the frame of the machine and through suitable brushes contacting with stationary conductor bars 20, so as to wind at threadipack'age' on anindividual bobbin B as the winding unit travels around the machine. As shown in Fig. 1, the conductor bars 20 are interrupted in the region where winding is suspended, following completion of winding a bobbin-andbefore and duringthe changing of. the bobbin by the; winding unit tending mechanism.

Thread T from a supply package carriedby the lower portion of the. winding unit'is drawn upwardly to a traversing thread. guide assembly indicated at 23,.through an'outer thread guide. eye.23 and thence over and down through an inner thread guide eye 23' onto the winding bobbin.

The bobbin B is held between inner and outer chucks or rotatablehollow centers 24 and25, the inner center 24 being rotated. by themotor: 19. to rotate the bobbin.

The thread guide assembly 23 is preferably frictionally mounted for slidingrnovement upon a traverse rod-23 which is reciprocated'with a shortstroke of traverse by suitable traverse cam andlinkage connections from the motor 19. During the winding of the bobbin the thread guide. assembly 23 is progressively advanced along the rod 23, from the'base of the'bobbintoward the tip, for instance by feeler mechanism suchias disclosed in United States PatentNo. 2,377,367 or by. stationary guide mech-' anism which reacts on the'thread guide assembly of the traveling winding unit" as disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,362,455. In either case the. progressive shifting of the zone of traverse of'the thread guide assembly 23 from near thebase. of the'bobbin to near the tip of the bobbin provides the filling type. of winding on the bobbin, thattis, nested conical layers.

Upon completion of a wound'bobbin by the winding unit,.or in any event upon the winding unit reaching a predetermined place in advance of the tending mechanism of Fig. 1, winding is stopped and the individual motor of. the unit is deenergized by breaking the circuit to the motor, for instance by lifting of the unitsbrushes from the conductor bars 20ithroughuse of control mechanism such as employed in connection with the machine of Figs. 13. to 23 of. said PatentNo. 2,377,367. Thus each winding unit enters from the left ofv Fig. l inan inactive condition but stillholding the. wound bobbin in winding, position between the centers.- 24 and 25.

The. outer chuck or center 25. of each unit is retract.- able to discharge the wound package from winding position by means of a crank. arm 30. on the. winding unit and a stationary abutment 31 shown. in Fig. 1. Upon the crank arm encountering. the abutment 31, the wound. bobbin will drop from the chucks or centers a short. distance. onto a lower. horizontal stationary plate 32 which extends along the path of travelof the winding units 15, underneath their head portions. The wound bobbin. is rolled along on this plate 32 by being held between a generally vertical plate 35 (Fig. 1.) and a rod 36' (Figs. land 2) bothof which extendfrom andmove along with the windingunit, and uponreaching the right end" of plate 32 the wound bobbin may roll off into a receptacle or into any desired bobbin-arranging mechamsm.

When the crank 30 leaves the right end of abutment 31, the outer center 25 is allowed to close upon a new empty bobbin appropriately held by suitable bobbinfeeding mechanism which may be that of Fig. 21 of said Patent No. 2,377,367, indicated generally by the reference character 40 and located to hold the new bobbin for reception at the position indicated at V in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows such new empty bobbin B as having been received between the centers 24 and 25, in winding position, and above the discharge full bobbin which is still being rolled along on the plate 32.

The first form of means for winding end-finding coils on the bobbin includes provision for guiding the thread onto the tip portion of the bobbin and simultaneously rotating the bobbin for a few turns while it is still held in the chucks 24 and 25 of the winding unit.

It will be observed from the left-hand position of a winding unit in Fig. 1 that the thread guide assembly 23 will have stopped with its inner eye 23 located somewhere in the zone of the last conical layer of thread nearest to the tip of the bobbin. An upstanding roller 42 on the thread guide assembly is engaged by an inclined portion of an overhead plow and guide member 43 which guides the roller 42 in between the guide member 43 and a straight portion 44 of the further overhead guide member, displacing the thread guide assembly along its traverse rod 23 so that the inner eye 23 enters the region of the bare portion of the bobbin core between the last conical layer of thread and the tip of the bobbin, as at position II of Fig. 1. At this stage the brushes of the winding unit encounter short sections of conductor bars 20', briefly energizing the motor 19 and rotating the bobbin a few turns during which time the thread T is wound in coils C near the tip of the bobbin, these coils being spaced from the main wound body of thread on the bobbin, but connected thereto as shown at position III of Fig. 1.

The brushes of the winding unit may be lowered into contact with the short sections of conductor bars 20 by suitable brush controlling mechanism such as employed in connection with the machine of Figs. 13 to 23 of said Patent No. 2,377,367, although in this use it is unnecessary that the brushes be held down in contact with conductor bars 20 long enough for the brush controlling mechanism to become latched since the short ections of conductor bars 20 are intended to cause only a few rotations of the individual motor of the winding unit. Instead of causing brushes of the winding r unit to be lowered into contact with the short sections of conductor bars 20, these bars may merely be positioned a little higher than the main conductor bars 20, so as to make momentary contact with the brushes in the elevated position of the brushes.

Shortly after the winding unit leaves position II, the crank arm 30 encounters the stationary abutment 31, the outer center of the chuck 25 is retracted as shown at position III of the winding unit of Fig. l, and the bobbin drops out of the chucks 24 and 25 onto the plate 32.

Following such discharge of the bobbin, the thread guide assembly 23 is shifted to a position above the inner or base chuck 24 by engagement of the upstanding roller 42 with an inclined extension 44 of the guide element 44, the wound bobbin B meanwhile being rolled along the plate 32 between the elements 35 and 36 of the winding unit.

Advantage is taken of the time during which the thread guide assembly is thus being shifted and the bobbin being rolled, to wind further coils on the bobbin. A stationary horizontal bar 50 having a cam shaped end 50' intervenes between the thread guide assembly and the tip portion of the bobbin, a portion of the thread extending from the thread guide to the bobbin thus being intercepted and bent around the bar 50 near the coils C previously wound, and the bar 50 guiding the thread onto the bobbin in further coils C as the bobbin rolls along and accordingly rotates beneath the bar 50, as indicated in position IV of the winding unit in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2.

As the thread guide assembly moves toward the base chuck 24. the thread extending between the inner eye 23' and the bar 50 is engaged by the edge of an upper cam plate 53 which forces the thread, bfilQW i level of the chuck 24, over toward the plane of the chuck 24. Just before the winding unit has reached position V of the winding unit of Fig. 1, to receive a new empty bobbin B, the thread is thus held across the open end of the chuck 24, above the chuck by means of the inner eye 23 and below the chuck by the edge of the upper cam plate 53. At this bobbin receiving position the crank arm 30 leaves the stationary abutment 31 and springs outwardly, allowing the outer chuck 25 to close upon the empty bobbin B as the latter is held by swingable fingers 55 and 56 of the bobbin-feeding mechanism 40.

Fig. 2 shows the thread extending upwardly from the supply at the lower portion of the winding unit, past the inner edge of the lower plate 32, through the eyes of the thread guide assembly, down between the new bobbin and chuck 24, thence over the inner edge of the upper guide plate 53, underneath this guide plate and over to the bar 50 and around this bar down onto the wound coils C on the bobbin.

With the thread thus wound in end-finding coils C on the tip portion of the fully wound bobbin and also connected to the new empty bobbin B' by being clamped between the latter and the inner chuck 24, the thread is then automatically severed twice, once adjacent to the end-finding coils and once adjacent to the chuck, to cut out this portion of the thread.

One remaining end of the thread, that is, the end attached to the supply, is left clamped between the new empty bobbin B and its chuck. The other remaining end of thread comprises the end-finding coils C of the wound bobbin B, and these coils C are left attached to the main body of thread of that bobbin.

Thus the thread extending down from the chuck 24 to the edge of the guide plate 53 enters in between the blades of a cutter located adjacent to the base chuck 24, the pivoted blade of which cutter is indicated at 60 in Fig. 1. At approximately the same time, the thread which extends down from the guide bar 50 to the endfinding coils C enters in between the blades of another cutter located adjacent to the tip portion of the discharged bobbin, the pivoted blade of such other cutter being indicated at 61. The two pivoted blades 60 and 61 of the two cutters are operated by links 63 and 64 respectively from a three armed crank 66 which may normally be held as by a spring in position to hold the two cutters open. One arm 67 of the crank 66 is adapted to be engaged by a bent rod 68 (Fig. 2) which is pivoted on a horizontal axis in brackets 69, 69 and has fast thereon a depending arm 68 located in position to be swung by contact with the outer portion of a passing winding unit. Thus as a winding unit passes a little beyond position V of the winding unit in Fig. 1 and the thread has entered into the two cutters, the bent rod 68, three armed crank 66 and links 63 and 64 are actuated to close the cutters, and sever the thread twice, near the base chuck and near the tip portion of the discharged bobbin.

Each cutter is preferably constructed to hold temporarily the cut portion of thread that extends to the other cutter, insuring that both cuts will be made before the thread is able to leave either cutter, so that if either cutter cuts the thread sooner than the other cutter, the part of thread which should be cut by such other cutter will not become loose and miss such other cutter.

Thus the pivoted blade 60 is provided with a cooperating fixed cutting blade 60 and a cooperating fixed holding blade 60 between which the blade 60 enters, the thread being out between blades 60 and 60 and being held between blades 60 and 60 until the blade 60 opens again. Similarly the pivoted blade 61 of the other cutter is provided with a cooperating fixed cutting blade 61 and a cooperating fixed holding blade 61 Fig. 4 shows the thread in position to be engaged by the pivoted cutting blades 60 and 61 of the two cutters. and Fig. 4 shows the cut portion held between the closed blade 60 and its cooperating holding'blade 60 and also held between the closed blade 61 and its cooperating holding blade 61 A suction nozzle 62 is preferably located overt he position of the cut and temporarily held piece of thread, and is connected by a conduit 62 to any suitable source of suction. Upon the blades 60 and 61 of the cutters opening again and releasing the cut off piece, the cut off piece is drawn into the suction nozzle 62 and carried away through the conduit 62.

- assures It will be observed that the preferred form.ofurie'ctianis'mshown ineludes'two-mea-ns for guiding the: thread onto the bobbin in end-finding coils,-. one of: these. employi-ng' the individual-thread guide eye 23 of the winding unit, to guide the-:threadf directly onto the tip portion of the bobbin, and the other employing an additional lsauppslgrrlental thread guide in the form of the. stationary It will be apparent that either one of these two means may be employed in the winding of a certain number of such end-finding coils, and that, by employing both such means, as in the illustrated machine, a greater number of end-finding coils can be wound.

In employing only the bar 50 to direct the thread onto the bobbin during the Winding of the end-finding coils, the provision for rotating the bobbin after completion of its main body of wound yarn and while still held in the chucks can simply be omitted, in which case the winding of the end-finding coils does not begin until the thread attached to the discharged rolling bobbin is engaged by the bar 50. To employ only the thread guide eye 23* of the winding unit to direct the thread onto the bobbin in end-finding coils, the bar 50, or the rotation of the bobbin beneath the bar 50, by rolling, may be omitted.

Even though the machine may be constructed to omit the winding of end-finding coils under the direct guidance of the thread guide eye 23 of the winding unit, it will be apparent that this thread guide eye cooperates with the bar 50 in presenting the thread to the bar. Also, even though the machine may be constructed to omit rotation of the bobbin after discharge from winding position and to omit the winding of end-finding coils under the guidance of bar 50, the bar 50 is useful in cooperating with the thread guide eye 23 to prevent end-finding coils which have been wound under the direct control of the thread guide eye 23 from being displaced as the thread guide assembly is shifted away from such coils, and also to retain the run of thread in the region of the end-finding coils in position for cutting by the cutter blade 61 in close proximity to the wound end-finding coils.

As indicated above, the invention further provides for securing coils of thread in place on the bobbin by means of adhesive. While it is contemplated that in some cases it may be desirable to apply adhesive to some at least of the exposed thread of the main wound body of thread on the bobbin, in general it will be preferable to limit the application of adhesive to surface portions of the wound thread which are of smaller diameter than the full diameter surface portions, with the resulting advantage that the adhesive may remain free from contact with other bobbins or parts of the machine at least until the adhesive has dried.

In the illustrated machine which has provision for winding end-finding coils C, of less diameter than the full diameter portion of the main wound body, it is preferable that the adhesive be applied to some at least of these end-finding coils, and this, in general, will suffice to fasten the leading end portion of thread in place on the bobbin without any application of any adhesive to any of the main wound body of thread.

As shown in the drawings, liquid adhesive may flow from a container 70 through a pipe 71 into a small brush 72 (Fig. 3) located in position to brush against the coils C of a bobbin B, following the cutting of the thread as described above, as the bobbin rolls and rotates beneath the brush. A slight amount of adhesive applied to the coils in this way will insure that these coils do not become dislodged from their intended position between the main body of yarn and the tip of the bobbin, and accordingly that all of the thread of the bobbin will remain in place thereon until the end-finding coils C are intentionally pulled 01f.

Application of the adhesive to the coils C without application of any adhesive to the main wound body of thread has the advantage that the adhesive after being applied need not contact with any other bobbin or any part of the machine before drying. In the illustrated machine the plate 32 on which the bobbins roll and any subsequent conveyor for the bobbin can engage the full diameter portions of the bobbins but not the small-diameter adhesively treated coils C.

We claim:

1. A winding machine including means for holding a bobbinin" Winding position, said holding means including a chuckgfontliebase1ofjtlie.-bolihin, means including a thread guide for distributing the thread on the bobbin innested conical layers which progressively advance from the base toward the tip of the bobbin, means for dischargingthe. wound bobbin from said chuck, means for carrying a portion of the thread extending between the thread guide" and the discharged bobbin to saidchuck for association with a new empty bobbin, and cutters arranged to cut the thread at two places between the chuck and the discharged bobbin to cut out a portion of such thread.

2. A winding machine including means for holding a bobbin in winding position, said holding means including a chuck for the base of the bobbin, means including a thread guide for distributing the thread on the bobbin in nested conical layers which progressively advance from the base toward the tip of the bobbin, means for discharging the wound bobbin from said chuck, means for carrying a portion of the thread extending between the thread guide and the discharged bobbin to said chuck for association with a new empty bobbin, cutters arranged to cut the thread at two places between the chuck and the discharged bobbin to cut out a portion of such thread, and means for fastening a leading end portion of thread in place on the bobbin.

3. A winding machine including means for holding a bobbin in winding position, said holding means including a chuck for the base of the bobbin, means including a thread guide for distributing the thread on the bobbin in nested conical layers which progressively advance from the base toward the tip of the bobbin, means for discharging the wound bobbin from said chuck, means for carrying a portion of the thread extending between the thread guide and the discharged bobbin to said chuck for association with a new empty bobbin, cutters arranged to cut the thread at two places between the chuck and the discharged bobbin to cut out a portion of such thread, and means for applying adhesive to a leading end portion of thread of the bobbin to hold such leading end portion in place.

4. A winding machine including means for holding a bobbin in winding position, said holding means including a chuck for the base of the bobbin, means including a thread guide for distributing the thread on the bobbin in nested conical layers which progressively advance from the base toward the tip of the bobbin, means for discharging the wound bobbin from said chuck, means for carrying a portion of the thread extending between the thread guide and the discharged bobbin to said chuck for association with a new empty bobbin, and two cutters arranged to cut the thread between the chuck and the discharged bobbin, one such cutter being located adjacent to said chuck and the other such cutter being located adjacent to the tip portion of the discharged bobbin.

5. A winding machine including means for holding a bobbin in winding position, said holding means including a chuck for the base of the bobbin, means including a thread guide for distributing the thread on the bobbin in nested conical layers which progressively advance from the base toward the tip of the bobbin, means for discharging the wound bobbin from said chuck, means for carrying a portion of the thread extending between the thread guide and the discharged bobbin to said chuck for association with a new empty bobbin, and two cutters for cutting the thread between the chuck and the discharged bobbin, each of said cutters being constructed to hold temporarily the cut portion of thread extending to the other cutter.

6. A winding machine including a bobbin holding chuck for rotatably holding the base of a winding bobbin, means for traversing thread on the rotating bobbin, means for progressively shifting the zone of traverse from adjacent to the base to adjacent to the tip of the bobbin, means for winding coils of the same thread in a restricted zone adjacent to the tip of the bobbin, means for discharging the bobbin from winding position, means for positioning the thread, which leads to said coils, at said chuck for engagement with the base of a new bobbin, and means for cutting twice a length of such thread that extends between the said coils and said chuck, to remove the portion between the two cuttings.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent I Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Colman Feb. 6, 1923 5 Colman Jan. 18, 1927 Gerard Feb. 10, 1942 Reynolds Nov. 24, 1942 Chisholm Feb. 5, 1946 Number Number Name Date Abbott Aug. 26, 1947 Abbott et a1 Aug. 26, 1947 Schweiter Sept. 14, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Australia Feb. 25, 1930 

